Ch 905 - The All-American Hero

Sitting atop his noble steed, Alex rode from the woods into Baltimore. He felt invincible, as if he were king of the world. He had no clue Riley just captured the two women he loved the most. Actually, there was no doubt in his mind that everything was going according to plan, and he would bring an end to Riley's reign of terror.

The journey was smooth. Gary, the horse, was like a well-oiled machine. He didn't tire, and his pace didn't falter. "That's it, boy. Keep it up. We have a little ways to go, but we'll be at Kylie's in no time."

After a few more mighty gallops, the smooth ride took a turn for the worst. Gary faltered and fell down in a grassy field. The beefed-up stallion toppled over, throwing Alex off his back.

Alex flew through the air. When he landed, he rolled a few extra feet. The fall knocked the wind out of him. He sat up, trying to catch his breath and wondering what, exactly, had happened. Wait, Gary fell. I have to make sure he's okay.

He pivoted to see Gary and instantly realized the horse didn't trip and fall. Standing over the horse was a super soldier. He must have come up behind us and knocked Gary over in a split second.

Without wasting another second, Alex stood up. He shot the super soldier an intimidating gaze. "Step away from the horse."

Shaggy, dark brown hair fell over the super soldier's eyes. He stood almost seven feet tall. After a moment, he finally turned around. Without speaking, he growled at Alex.

The immature act did not frighten Alex in the slightest. "Perhaps I wasn't clear enough. If you don't step away from the horse right now, I will kill you."

A grin spread across the super soldier's face, as if to challenge Alex. "You don't scare me. You puny, little man. I was created with the sole purpose of destroying you. I trained for this moment, and you can bet I will savor every minute of watching you take your last breath."

"Well, what you want to do isn't exactly what you're going to do," Alex said.

With that, the super soldier raised his fist to punch Gary, but before he got the chance, Alex pounced on him, tackling him to the ground in a violent rage.

The super soldier may have been enormous and strong, but Alex was smart and quick. He didn't give the monster in front of him any time to react. He whaled on the grotesque man, landing blow after blow.

Fighting for his life, the super soldier managed to shove Alex to the side. Somehow, he staggered to his feet. His face was bloodied, nearly beaten to a pulp. He limped toward Gary, turning his back to Alex. "I'm going to destroy this stupid horse, just like the lab should have done when he didn't follow orders." Obviously, he had yet to learn his lesson.

Alex remained silent. As the super soldier fixed his attention elsewhere, Alex snuck up behind him and delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of his head. The soldier's head jerked to the side, and huge teeth flew out his mouth as he plunged to the ground again.

This time, Alex finished the job. With one hefty punch, he crushed the man's skull. The super soldier let out one shaky breath, then perished. Alex didn't take the time to admire his handiwork. "Let that be a lesson to anyone who wants to touch my horse."

Gary whimpered. Alex rushed to his side. "Gary, are you okay?

Alex reached under Gary and, using his brute strength, helped the stallion stand up. The horse didn't seem to sustain any injuries. Alex patted him on the back. "You're tougher than you look."

Gary whinnied, as if he were responding to Alex, who chuckled. "Well, I guess you're right. You do look pretty tough. Let's not wait around."

As the words left Alex's lips, he heard something that sounded like the beating of a drum. The earth shook a bit beneath his feet.

Both Alex and the horse turned in the direction of the sound. An ATV drove out from the edge of the forest, roaring its engine. On top sat two supersoldiers wearing helmets.

[SFX: BANG!]

One of the soldiers was holding a shotgun in each hand. The other was driving with a chimpanzee on his lap. The chimp was huge and muscular, holding a pistol. They sped toward Alex and Gary.

In a single movement, Alex mounted his stallion. "Run, boy!"

Gary took off, racing toward the city of Baltimore. This super soldier horse had so much horsepower, but the ATV was gaining on them. The screams of the chimpanzee grew closer and closer.

Alex looked over his shoulder. "I don't have time for monkey business. Hurry up, Gary!"

As Alex and Gary reached the streets of Baltimore, they hit a roadblock. Rush hour. Alex was dismayed that the traffic was bumper-to-bumper. "Just our luck."

The ATV darted in and out of traffic until the group of mutated creatures caught up to Alex and his horse. When the ATV couldn't squeeze by any more cars, the mutants hopped off and threw their guns to the side of the road. One of the super soldiers pointed at Alex. "We've come to kill you, Alex Ambrose."

Alex dismounted Gary. He stood tall with a smug confidence that was justified. "Let me guess. It's your sole purpose in life."

One of the super soldiers stepped forward and hissed. "It's our glorious purpose."

The chimpanzee beat its chest, as if it was agreeing with his semi-human counterpart.

A line of cars formed behind them, beeping their horns incessantly. The chimp turned around and screeched at the cars. The car horns ceased.

A laugh broke through Alex's lips. "If I were you, I'd pick a different purpose. I don't think this one is going to work out." He exuded a sense of calm and ease most others wouldn't possess at such a moment.

The other super soldier scoffed. "Fat chance." He pointed forward with determination. "Chimp, attack!"

With that, the chimp raised its furry super-soldier hand. It clutched a hard lump of feces and threw it in Alex's direction. With cat-like reflexes, Alex caught the turd, spun in a circle, and redirecting the momentum, threw the feces in the face of one of the super soldiers. The excrement exploded, covering every inch of his deformed face. The force of the turd also sent him flying into a lamppost. It snapped in half and fell on top of him, killing him instantly.

Gary seemed to be possessive about his rider, and he did not take well to seeing feces being thrown at Alex. In turn, he attacked the chimpanzee, stomping his hoof straight through the primate's chest, turning him into a kabob. And Gary wasn't done. He wanted to send a message in the name of Alex Ambrose. He removed his gut-covered hoof from the chimp's chest cavity and used his strong, durable horse teeth to lift up what was left of the chimp. He flung it into the air, and propelled it a mile or more away. The primate's body landed on the windshield of a school bus, triggering a cacophony of prepubescent screams that even Alex could hear a mile away.

The only remaining super soldier circled Alex. "You're surrounded, Alex Ambrose. You'll never win."

Alex's lips curved up into a smile because he found the super soldier's ranting and rambling comical. He almost considered prolonging the fight just to hear more of the nonsense the creature's addled brain would spout But he had places he needed to be, and a world only he could save. "You know, everyone says that, but they're never right. I always win. It's kind of like, no matter what happens, I can't lose."

Alex and the super soldier exchanged blows, tustling in the middle of the intersection. The super soldier grabbed Alex's shirt and ripped it off his body. Alex's abs glistened in the sunlight. He flexed his biceps, looking like a Greek god. Going Shirtless seemed to give Alex a second wind.

He whipped his head around. "Gary, now!"

The horse held one of the discarded shotguns in his mouth. He made eye contact with the super soldier.

"Oh, no," the traget said.

[SFX: BOOM]

Gary shot the super soldier in the chest.

"That's what I call a buck shot," Alex said.

The super soldier fell to his knees. For good measure, Alex grabbed the soldier's head in his hands, positioned the head at an angle, then applied a thousand pounds of torque. CRACK! He snapped the creature's neck, killing him instantly.

When Alex stood back up, Gary spit the shotgun out of his mouth.

Alex watched the horse with admiration. "Now that is one incredible stallion."

Gary trotted back to Alex, panting out his horse's breath. Then, Alex did something unexpected. As if it were magic, he pulled a sugar cube out of his pants pocket. "I bet you didn't guess I had this in here. Did you?"

Gary's eyes gleamed with intense joy. It had been so long since he indulged in the sweetness of a sugar cube.

Alex held out the sweet treat in his hand. "Go ahead, buddy. You earned it."

Gary gently licked it. Alex beamed at the horse. "That's right, boy. You did a good job. That's the last of them."

For once, Alex was wrong. That was not, in fact, the last of them. From a helicopter flying overhead, two super soldiers jumped out, plummeting down to Earth.

Alex stretched his arms. "Looks like it's our lucky day, Gare. Look alive."

The two super soldiers hit the ground. A fall from thousands of feet didn't affect them at all, thanks to their super strength. As they walked toward him, Alex noticed their steps left footprints in the asphalt.

The two spoke in unison. "Alex Ambrose, it is our-"

"Glorious purpose to kill you," Alex interrupted. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard that about seven times today."

One of the super soldiers was a behemoth, as tall as Gary. He lifted a parked car from the side of the road and hurled it at Alex as if it were a softball. Alex ducked, and the wayward car smashed into the side of a building.

The big super soldier let out a roar. "Give up now, Alex Ambrose."

Alex shook his head. "Hey, I'm having a good time here. Gary, go show him how much of a good time we're having."

Gary charged toward the giant. When they met, eye to eye, Gary narrowed his dark eyes. He bit the super soldier's face, ripping the flesh clean off. After, Gary took a step back, positioned himself perfectly and kicked like a donkey. The super soldier flew into the air, aimed straight at the hovering helicopter. The blades of the aircraft cut the soldier into little pieces before the helicopter made a crash landing.

Alex stood as blood rained down on him from above. He stared at what he knew would become his next victim.

This super soldier was not the biggest by a long shot. He still looked relatively human, but Alex could clock the scars that covered his bulging muscles. In his hand, the soldier held a syringe filled with a purple liquid. "You're all mine now, Alex. I'm happy my brothers failed. Now, I get you all to myself."

When the creature smiled, Alex noticed that his teeth were razor sharp. Alex cocked his head to the side. "Whoever taught you all how to monologue should be an acting coach."

The gnarled man held the syringe in front of his face. "Enough of your insolence! Your sly remarks don't amuse me."

Alex shrugged. "I never said I was a comedian."

With that, the super soldier dashed toward Alex. Despite the fact this soldier was smaller than the others in his bizarre group, his attacks packed a punch. Alex was taken aback by the crippling hits.

"Get over here!" The super soldier yelled as he tried to stab Alex with the syringe. Alex backed away.

After a few more attempts to pierce Alex with the needle, the super soldier backed his prey into a corner. Alex had nowhere to turn. He would have to fight for his life.

Just as things were looking grim, Gary galloped in to save the day. He head-butted the super soldier, knocking him to the ground. Alex bent down and snatched the syringe.

The super soldier shook with fear. "Please, don't use that, just kill me like the others. Throw me into the helicopter, anything but that."

Alex held the syringe up to the sun and examined the purple liquid. "Well, now you have me curious."

In one motion, Alex stabbed the super soldier with the syringe. The purple liquid surged into his bloodstream, and the super soldier grimaced in pain. His face contorted before melting. All of his skin fell away, followed by his muscles and organs. All that was left was a skeleton.

Alex, who was surrounded by a puddle of super-soldier goo, grimaced at the sight. "Gary, let's make a note to stay away from any purple liquid."

He stood up and dusted off his hands. He turned to Gary, his valiant steed and trusty right-hand horse. Alex raised his hand to Gary for a high-five, and the horse lightly hit the hand with his hoof.

It wasn't until after the fight had ended that Alex noticed all the citizens of Baltimore gathered around. He was certain that they had been scared for their lives. He waved to them all. "No worries, everyone. Nothing more to fear. I took care of it, and I'll call the mayor A.S.A.P. to have him repair those buildings, the roads, and that lamppost. I'll pay for it myself."

The crowd remained silent for a moment, but then, it erupted into thunderous applause. Those who had watched the whole thing offered thanks and praise to Alex. This wasn't the first time he had saved their city, and they were certain it wouldn't be the last.

Alex dismissed them all with a wave. "Oh, please. It's all in a day's work."

He leaned in toward Gary. "What do you say we get out of here for real this time?"

The horse bent down, and Alex hopped on top of him. "Why don't we go onto the sidewalk? Skip the traffic?"

With a nod of the head, Gary trotted onto the sidewalk. Alex waved to some of the passersby. "Okay, Gary, Kylie's house is across the city. I hope she is excited to see me, or, at the very least, I really hope she's not behind this, as well. But, if she is, I'm not afraid to hit a woman. I believe in equal rights."

As Alex and Gary rode off, down the streets of Baltimore, a little boy who was about five years old watched from the window of his family's station wagon. "Do you see that man on that horse, Mama?"

The mother was also watching the two. "Of course, I do. That's Alex Ambrose."

The child nodded. His eyes lit up with wonder and excitement. "That man is an All-American hero, Mama. When I grow up, I want to be just like him."